Crown cap



P 1 R. E. RUTLEDGE, SR 3,147,375

CROWN CAP Filed April 23, 1962 INVENTOR. Ric/lard 1F. Raf/edge Sn BYUnited States Patent 3,147,875 I CROWN CAP Richard E. Rutledge, Sr., 519E. 77th St, Kansas City, Mo. Filed Apr. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 189,576 2Claims. (Cl. 215-39) This invention relates to an improved crown cap forclosing and sealing beverage bottles or the like.

Conventional crown caps, generally denoted in the trade as crowns, arenormally stamped from an initially flat, circular disc of bendable,metallic material to form a top or lid portion and an annular,continuous skirt. The cap is then crimped at the skirt to form a seriesof indentations and alternate elongated ribs. When such caps are placedon the bottle, the lowermost ends of the ribs project laterally from andoverhang the side of the bottle neck. Such outwardly projecting,lowermost ends present sharp barbs or points at the lower edge of theskirt which are injurious to the hands and fingers of those handling thebottles. Thus, customers and users, as well as those persons whosebusiness it is to fill vending machines, serve soft drinks, or transferthe bottles from cartons to refrigerators or the like, subjectthemselves to cuts and scratches on the hand and fingers when thebottles are grasped adjacent their caps.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a crown capwhich eliminates such sharp cutting points so that .the problem ofirritation and injury to the hands and fingers of personnel handling thebottles will be entirely solved.

Therefore, in the present invention, there is provided a crown cap,including a top and a continuous, fluted skirt integral with the top,but having a number of circumferentially spaced ribs that do not spanthe distance between the top and the lower periphery of the skirt, aportion of the skirt at the lower end of each rib being removed toeliminate the overhang of the ribs adjacent the lower peripheral edge ofthe skirt, whereby the ribs are free of sharp prongs or barbs to therebyavoid injury and irritation.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a blank thatmay be quickly, easily and inexpensively stamped and crimped to form thenovel cap above described.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view showing a crown cap made pursuant to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the cap shown mounted on a bottle;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the cap is made; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cap as it appears prior to mountingon the bottle.

The cap of the present invention includes a circular top or lid portionand an annular skirt integral with the lid portion and extendinglaterally or downwardly therefrom. The skirt is fluted to form a numberof circumferentially spaced ribs and indentations alternating with theribs. The skint is notched at each rib to eliminate all sharp barbstherefrom and to form a pair of edges extending outwardly and upwardlytoward the lid portion from the lower peripheral edge of the skirt. Byeliminating the overhang of the outermost ends of the ribs, irritationto the hands and fingers of personnel handling bottles provided with thecrown caps of the present invention is completely obviated.

The cap is broadly denoted by the numeral and includes a circular top orlid portion 12, and a continuous 3,147,875 Patented Sept. 8, 1964annular skirt 14 integral with lid portion 12 and normally extendingdownwardly therefrom.

Cap 10 is initially stamped from a flat disc 16 as shown in FIG- 4, disc16 being of a bendable material and preferably of a commerciallyavailable, relatively inexpensive metal. When disc 16 is provided with aseries of equally spaced, substantially V-shaped notches 18 at itscircular periphery 19, each notch 18 is defined by a pair of identicaledges 20 which merge at point 22 and diverge as periphery 19 isapproached. The series of circumferentially spaced points 22 lie on acommon, circular line concentric with and spaced inwardly of periphery19. Pcripheral edge 19 is, therefore, divided into equally spaced,identical, arcuate segments 21.

Disc 16 is bent about a circular line 23 concentric with and spacedinwardly of the circular, continuous line passing through point 22 so asto form or set ofi" lid portion 12 and skirt 14. The bending of disc 16is preferably accomplished by the use of a stamping process employingmale and female die members. After, or as lid portion 12 and skirt 14are formed, skirt 14 is crimped or fluted to form a series ofindentations 24 which provide bottleengaging projections 26 on the innersurface of skirt 14. The portion of skirt 14 between each pair ofindentations 24 presents an elongated rib 28 spanning much of thedistance between periphery 19'and the line of bend 23. Each rib 28 isprovided with a generally convex, outermost surface as is clear in FIG.1, and is formed by the crimping process so that a notch 18 is locatedat the lowermost end thereof as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. The point 22of each notch 18 is disposed substantially midway between the sides ofthe corresponding rib 28 so that edges 20 defining the notch 18, aresubstantially symmetrical with the rib 28.

A liner 30 within lid portion 12 is usually formed from a yieldablesealing material, such as cork, plastic or the like.

Cap 10 is adapted to be disposed, when in use, over the open top of abeverage bottle 32 as is clear in FIGS. 2 and 3. During capping,projections 26 on skirt 14 are brought into gripping relationship to theunderside of annular head 34 surrounding the open top of bottle 32 andintegral with the neck 36. Since there are a number of circumferentiallyspaced projections 26 on skirt 14, cap 10 is securely mounted on bottle32 and liner 30 is compressed between bead 34 and the inner surface oflid portion 12 to effectively seal the open top of bottle 32.

Edges 20 defining notches 18, are directed upwardly and slightlyoutwardly when crown cap 10 is disposed in closing relationship to theopen top of bottle 32. It is therefore clear that the overhang ofconventional crown caps is eliminated as a result of the presence ofnotches 18 so that personnel handling bottles 32 are not subjected tocuts and scratches to their hands and fingers by sharp, laterallyprojecting barbs such as are found on all conventional crown caps.

By virtue of the construction mentioned above, the blank 16 may beconstructed in a manner so that the sharp, laterally projecting barbsfound on conventional crown caps, are eliminated prior to or at the timeof the stamping and crimping operation required for forming the lidportion 12 and skirt 14 of crown cap 10.

Cap 10 is removed from a bottle just as easily as a conventional crowncap by the use of ordinary bottleopener devices. In addition, cap 10 isno more expensive to manufacture and requires no more material than aconventional crown cap. Moreover, the seal effected by cap 10 is as goodas that effected by the conventional cap.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A blank for producing a beverage bottle crown cap of the type havinga lid portion and an annular, fluted edges joined at the innerextremities thereof and skirt integral with the lid portion andprojecting laterally diverging as said periphery is approached, saiddisc therefrom, said blank comprising: adapted to be bent along acontinuous, circular line a circular, irnperforate disc of bendablematerial and concentric with and spaced inwardly of the continuhaving anumber of spaced notches therein at the ous, circular line on which thejunctions of said edges periphery thereof, said disc adapted to be bentalong a continuous, circular line concentric with and spaced inwardlyfrom the periphery thereof to form said skirt and said lid portion, saidskirt adapted to be bent along circumferentially spaced lines to form apair of indentations therein on opposed sides of each notch of saiddisc, each indentation presenting a bottle-gripping projection on saidskirt.

are disposed to form said skirt and said lid portion, said skirt adaptedto be bent along circumferentially spaced, substantially radial lines toform a pair of indentations therein on opposed sides of each notch ofsaid disc, each indentation presenting a bottlegripping projection onsaid skirt.

References Cited in the file of this patent 2. A blank for producing abeverage bottle crown cap of the type having a lid portion and anannular, fluted 15 UNITED STATES PATENTS skirt integral with the lidportion and projecting laterally 2,069,410 Hochstildter 1937 therefrom,said blank comprising: 2,706,572 T0909 P 1955 a circular, imperforatedisc of bendable material and having a number of circumferentiallyspaced, sub- FOREIGN PATENTS stantially V-shaped notches therein at theperiphery 20 23,896 Norway Oct. 20, 1913 thereof, each of said notchespresenting a pair of 1,203,304 France July 27, 1959

1. A BLANK FOR PRODUCING A BEVERAGE BOTTLE CROWN CAP OF THE TYPE HAVINGA LID PORTION AND AN ANNULAR, FLUTED SKIRT INTEGRAL WITH THE LID PORTIONAND PROJECTING LATERALLY THEREFROM, SAID BLANK COMPRISING: A CIRCULAR,IMPERFORATE DISC OF BENDABLE MATERIAL AND HAVING A NUMBER OF SPACEDNOTCHES THEREIN AT THE PERIPHERY THEREOF, SAID DISC ADAPTED TO BE BENTALONG A CONTINUOUS, CIRCULAR LINE CONCENTRIC WITH AND SPACED INWARDLYFROM THE PERIPHERY THEREOF TO FORM SAID SKIRT AND SAID LID PORTION, SAIDSKIRT ADAPTED TO BE BENT ALONG CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED LINES TO FORM APAIR OF INDENTATIONS THEREIN ON OPPOSED SIDES OF EACH NOTCH OF SAIDDISC, EACH INDENTIFICATION PRESENTING A BOTTLE-GRIPPING PROJECTION ONSAID SKIRT.